Chateau Miraval (AUS)
2 f Zousain – Sheila’s Star by Snitzel
O: Yu Long Investments (Mgr: Y Zhang), T Gorgovski, T R Martin, G A Crispe & Dr S Inglis
B: Dissident Aurelius
T: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott
S: 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale V: Rosemont Stud P: Yu Long Investments (Australia) Pty Ltd / Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing / Kestrel Thoroughbreds, $650,000
W: Prague Yearlings Selling Now Maiden Plate, 1100m, February 14, Randwick-Kensington
Co-trainer Adrian Bott is hopeful that Chateau Miraval (Zousain) can make up into a black-type performer after she made a winning debut in an 1100-metre contest at Randwick-Kensington on Wednesday.
Becoming the third individual winner for Widden Stud’s first-season sire Zousain (Zoustar) in the process, the Yulong-raced filly was ridden by Tim Clark and defeated Growing Empire (Zoustar), who is also owned by Yuesheng Zhang’s operation, by a nose. President (I Am Invincible) was a further length and a half away in third.
“She is certainly one of the better fillies we have got in the yard, no doubt,” said Bott who trains in partnership with Gai Waterhouse.
“We would like to link her into some of the fillies’ series now, the fillies lead-ups towards the [Golden] Slipper and see how she can stack up there. I think she can get to that black-type level and that would be important for her family and her connections.”
Tim Clark added: “She is very much like her sister North Star Lass, who I had a lot to do with, and hopefully she can go on to those good heights as well. To the second horse’s credit, he really stuck it to her and just wouldn’t go away, but she was very brave and she is going to take improvement out of the run.”
Chateau Miraval was bought by her trainers in conjunction with Yulong and Bruce Slade’s Kestrel Thoroughbreds for $650,000 from the Rosemont Stud draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, making her the most expensive yearling sold by the sire in his first year with progeny offered at sales.
She is out of Group 3-placed mare Shelia’s Star (Snitzel), making her three-quarter sibling to the former Waterhouse and Bott-trained Group 2 winner North Star Lass (Zoustar), who was also placed at Group 1 level.
North Star Lass herself was bought by Yulong for $1.525 million via the Inglis Digital September Sale last year. Zousain has nine lots catalogued at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, which begins on March 3.